Food Truck Plan Put on Ice

A proposal to make Watsonville the epicenter of food truck cuisine in Santa Cruz County hit a roadblock when city council members asked to take a second look at the hours street cuisine would be offered.

Food trucks may be allowed to park on Peck Street on Friday and Saturday nights. The proposition, put forward by City Councilman Oscar Rios, would allow food trucks from 9 p.m. to midnight.

But council members wanted to expand the hours to 8 p.m. to midnight Friday and 6 p.m. midnight on Saturdays and Sundays.

The decision on the new food truck row will be postponed until the council's next meeting, Oct. 9, to give city staff time to contact downtown restaurants with new proposed hours and get feedback, according to City Manager Carlos Palacios.

Watsonville Patch readers expressed largely supportive views of adding food trucks to the downtown.

Hector Rodriguez commented, "more people going out in the evening, more businesses are going to stay open, more options, more money, more competition."

Cathy P. said, "hopefully our current city council will realize the value of food trucks and the life that food trucks can bring to the streets and vote to give them a try. Food vendors can attract foot traffic to downtown and add a festive, people-oriented feel that can improve public safety. This seems like a win-win for downtown retail businesses overall."

However, some raised concerns about the hours and suggested they should begin earlier.

"I would not personally go into town at night because I don't feel safe due to the gangs and criminals," Jennifer Olds commented.